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Any of you been watching "Frontier"? (I think that's what its called) - It's a hoot! I can't decide whether to love or hate the whiney (whiny?) Californians. I feel sorry for the guy married to the nasty woman - she reminds me of the storekeeper's wife on "Little House on the Prairie". I keep wondering why it took them so long to pack something in the cracks in their log houses - all those drafts would drive me crazy. Am I the only one who got sucked into this program? Jodi

I am a Frontier Valley addict. I also got totally hooked on it. I thought the Californians were the funniest, some things they just didn't get -- like the rules, I guess.

I watched a bit of it with my 4th grade daughter, who just finished a quarter studying westward expansion in Social Studies. The very first episode (and the events that occurred right when they were starting out, I won't give details for those who haven't seen it yet...) really grabbed my daughter. She had an idea that it was all fun 'n games on the prairie and seeing things up close showed a different story.

I'd like to think I would have "made it" as a homesteader, but I probably would have ended up much more like the Mrs. Olson person than the Caroline Ingalls person, I'm afraid.

I thought the ending was quite poignant, particularly their reflections (or lack of reflection) when back in the 21st century.

Yes, the whole thing has run here. It was quite amazing. I wonder how things would have gone if the California people had gotten the ready made cabin, and the other couple had had to sleep in a tent in the cold and wet til their house was built. And the Californian's REAL house - unbelievable. What DOES that man do for a living, anyway? Would YOU want to do business with him after watching him in the 1800's? Even though the experts said that the California family wouldn't of made it, I think they might have been the ones that DID make it. That man does whatever it takes to get ahead. He knew he didn't REALLY have to gather enough firewood for winter, because they weren't actually staying the winter. He had FUN! Jodi

Yes, their new house was/is amazing. I frankly thought that was one of the more bizarre aspects, trying to justify in some sort of way how 6 people NEED that much, particularly after their frontier experiences. Didn't seem to bother them much!

Apparently he is president of something called Klune Industries, an aerospace company, that his father started up from scratch, or close to it.

I wish Karen hadn't been such a stick in the mud... I admire her practicality and gumption, but not her fixation on running down the dippy Clunes.

I totally became hooked on that show. it was really fascinating. Did anyone notice that it seemed like George (the california dad) was basically insane by the end? he seemed like he was slowly going stir-crazy or something, between his obssesion with shooting a gun and his determination to be like a "drill seagrent" to his daughters. of course, the beard and the hair didn't help the crazy look, i am sure...

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"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music." ~Rachmaninoff

Lots of laughs around here about the CA family. Especially when the wife sobbed because she wouldn't be allowed to wear makeup. They really are so far removed from the realities of life aren't they? And they are only a family of 5 in that huge house, as one of the kids was a niece.

It got me wondering about how he runs his business. Does he rationalize all his business decisions and does he cheat to get ahead? I'll bet many of his employees live pretty close to his frontier existance now as most probably are overseas or in Mexico. But I'd be willing to bet he doesn't "get it".

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BeeLady

Life is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!

I watched it all and was disappointed in the production; I think "1900 House" was better done. That being said, "Frontier" was interesting and I looked forward to watching each episode.

I felt the family from California grew the most, they went through quite a transformation. It was sad to see them revert right back again after their experience but I guess that is to be expected. I was also quite amazed to see the strong emotional reaction from the woman from California when she wasn't allowed to wear makeup for the initial photo shoot. She certainly looked like she was going to have a breakdown. This is altogether surprising to me because without her makeup she is a beautiful woman. There were many shots of her during the 5 months that reveal her true visual beauty. Frankly, it was sad to see that she decided to cover it up again upon returning to the present. My first reaction to the California couple was pretty much the same as others here, but that changed during the 3rd and 4th episodes and I warmed up to them.

The production team really should have done something in the editing room. I mean really, with 5 months worth of footage was it necessary to portray constant bickering and fighting (not to mention judgementalism) amongst the Tennessee couple. Surely they must have had some good moments. I also think the parents should have seen to it that their children did not become emotionally attached to the animals that were destined for slaughter. The loss of a pet is a grave loss and these children were way too attached to the pig and chicken that we saw slaughtered and I think it could have been traumatic. I was raised on a farm and actually participated (i.e., wielded the axe) in slaughtering chickens (the grown ups did the large animals; anyway I couldn't have done that) but we were not emotionally attached to the chickens, we were around them mostly when doing chores. (BTW, I'm now vegetarian, but primarily because I feel the way animals are raised for slaughter in this country is unethical; although if I wasn't vegetarian but had to slaughter my own meat, I would quickly become one for sure.)

I think I could have made it too, but that depends on how many children I would have with me.

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"Hunger for growth will come to you in the form of a problem." -- unknown

When I was a little tyke, and even into my high school years, my job was to feed our cows and hogs. We never had a lot of livestock, generally just one or two beeves and a couple of barrows.

Usually, first good cold snap, one of my barnyard chums would be butchered. Sometimes several of the family would gather with their pigs or cow and we'd have a boucherie. My father wouldn't even use a gun to kill the animal, he would just knock 'em in the head with a hammer. Then we'd clean the animal and take the carcass to the local refrigerated locker to hang for a few days, until arrangements could be made to help cut the animal up into roasts, ribs, whatever.

Chickens, of course, meet their maker in an even less humane way. It's too easy to cut yourself with a hatchet, and much faster just to wring their necks.

Makes one appreciate the supermarket at an early age. Although "bought" meat never has the flavor of home grown, just like with fresh vegetables.